Basics of Project Management
Meaning of a Project
Every business organization needs to do a number of tasks in the course of their operation. Most companies have a set of pre-defined strategies to guide the organization in achieving its long-term objectives. Long-term strategies are generally framed once in a decade and cannot be altered easily. But organizations also need to do a number of activities to meet the changing conditions in the marketplace. In such situations, it is difficult to alter the long-term strategies of the organization easily. In order to successfully complete such activities, organizations start specific projects. A project is a set of activities that are generally executed over a fixed period subject to the costs and other limitations (Munns and Bjeirmi, n.d.). Projects are generally short-term endeavors. Companies generally do not frame projects beyond a few months and years. Some examples of projects are Google Glass and Google Waymo. The Google Waymo project was planned to develop autonomous driving cars to effectively compete with the automobile giants in the future.
Basics of Project Management
Individuals and organizations should make sure that they select projects that can be planned and implemented properly. Every project should have a well-defined objective. Lack of a proper objective will result in the wastage of resources with a good end result. Individuals and organizations should also consider whether they have the requisite resources to successfully complete the projects. Many organizations start projects that are beyond their means only to discontinue them in the middle as they fail to raise the resources. Many companies are now outsourcing certain projects to other institutions/individuals that can complete the projects for a much lower costs than what the company can manage. This decision is similar to make or buy decision made by the operations management departments of organizations.
Project management is a specialized discipline that is relevant to engineering and management professionals to plan and implement specific projects. Project management is the planning, development, and application of specific skills, tools, and techniques to undertake the project activities. The project management process has five different steps, viz. initiating, planning, executing, monitoring and controlling, and closing (Project Management Institute, n.d.).
Project in Which I have Participated
I have participated in a number of projects in my life. One of the projects I have participated in renovating our house when I was just out of school. The objective of the project was to renovate certain parts of our house that were damaged like the garage and lawn. Some of the most technical aspects of the project were outsourced to skilled Masons and Gardeners. I along with some of my family members took care of other activities related to the project like painting the doors and walls.
The DMBA 620 is also a project for me. It has a fixed objective of boosting my career prospects in the long-term. The DMBA 620 develops skills that are definitely unique when compared with other skills that were developed by me before starting the course. I have carefully evaluated my skills/abilities and the resources at my disposal before joining the DMBA 620 program. I believe that the resources I am expending for completing this project will help me all through my career.
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References
Munns, A.K., Bjeirmi, B.F. (1996). The role of project management in achieving project success, International Journal of Project Management, 14 (2), pp. 81-87.
Project Management Institute, What is project management? https://www.pmi.org/about/learn-about-pmi/what-is-project-management, March 19, 2017.